Vehicles for Hire

An online survey about vehicles for hire in Red Deer and the region ran from August 24 to September 7, 2017. Three hundred and thirty two people from Red Deer and the region participated in the online survey.

Vehicles for Hire – Survey Results

What are vehicles for hire?

A vehicle for hire is a vehicle providing shared transport, which transports one or more passengers between locations of the passengers' choice. Vehicles for hire come in many forms such as taxis, limousines, sedans, transportation network companies and driver take home services.

Why did The City conduct the survey?

The online survey is being used to gauge people’s needs and get their feedback about vehicles for hire in Red Deer and central Alberta.

Over the last number of years, the vehicles for hire industry has changed with the introduction of ride-sharing services, such as Uber, as well as others. In addition, there have also been changes to the way people live, work and play, as well as to technology and the economy. Right now, The City of Red Deer regulates only taxis, limousines and sedans, which may not necessarily reflect the needs of both customers and service providers in our city and region.

What are the results?

The first phase of the review is consultation and research, and the results are as follows:

332 people from the region participated in the online survey

Of survey participants, taxi services were the most utilized vehicle for hire service, with 45 per cent saying they use taxi services once per month.

Of survey participants, 57 per cent of respondents indicated they use vehicle for hire services to avoid driving impaired with 47 per cent indicating other personal reasons.

Of survey participants, 75 per cent of respondents indicated they use vehicle for hire services locally, in Red Deer with the next highest utilization being Red Deer County at 26 per cent followed by Gasoline Alley at 24 per cent and Sylvan Lake at 20 per cent.

When respondents were invited to include additional comments, approximately 22 per cent of respondents highlighted safety as a priority, followed by cost and availability.

What are you doing with the information?

The information collected in the survey will be used to shape next steps in not only the consultation process but also in the development of a draft vehicles for hire bylaw that responds to the needs of both customers and service providers. Regional municipalities will then once again evaluate and determine if they wish to take part in those next steps.

What comes next?

The following steps will take place between January and June 2018.

Exploration of interim bylaw amendments that may help existing companies with the transition as we continue consultation about vehicles for hire.

Further communication with interested regional municipalities.

In March 2018, we will initiate formal targeted stakeholder consultation, which includes but is not limited to, businesses and service providers as well as customers.

Customer / potential user consultation will take place between February and May 2018.

Proposed bylaw will be presented to City Council in the spring.

Who can I contact for more information?

If you have questions or want more information, please contact The City of Red Deer’s Inspections and Licensing Department at 403-342-8190.